Academic – Grad School

This essay on themes of evil, freedom, and morality in the 2008 film The Dark Knight was originally written as part of a film-response essay required as part of an application to the Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. It has been modified for publication here. “Do you want to know how I got these…

Tamar Tamar’s story, recorded in 2 Samuel 13:1-22, is the story of a victim who is avenged but not redeemed, housed in safety but not restored from her desolate state. I chose to engage the story of Tamar because previous exposure to this story left me unsatisfied. I’m convinced Tamar has something valuable to speak…

Is Short Term 12 a realistic portrayal of care in group homes, counseling relationships between adolescents and live-in caregivers, and relational styles in teens who have experienced psychological trauma? This paper was written as part of a graduate level course in counseling children and adolescents and addresses the relational styles, non-verbal communication, and therapeutic use…

Hagar the Survivor: the Story of Hagar through A Feminist/Trauma-Informed Lens You do nothing like the other gods / and so I know you are my God / and my son’s God and my sons son’s.I do not understand the stars / uncountable in number; / nor do I understand you. – From Abraham: With…

The following paper was originally prepared for a graduate level Old Testament survey course in seminary. This paper is a reflective essay written in response to Aviya Kushner’s book The Grammar of God. This paper explores multiple topics including my own initial exposure to the bible, how our family of origin influences how we read…

Unlike typical visualization-based mindfulness exercise, this exercise invites the participant to narrow their focus to a specific tactile stimulation, and experience that narrow field of experience deeply. This mindfulness exercise may be helpful to many, but was specifically authored to be used with trauma survivors. A typical mindfulness exercises often instructs the participant to close…

The following paper was written for a graduate level course in Interpersonal Relations. The paper has been modified for publication here. This paper began as a mind-map first draft. Click here to learn more about my method for prewriting papers via mind mapping. God, Self, & Other as a Perichoretic Model of Wholehearted Being …remember…

The following paper was written for a graduate level course: Interpersonal Neurobiology. The paper has been modified for publication here. View summary handout by clicking the thumbnail below: Dissociative Pathology as a Neurological Framework for Trauma Recovery via Creativity ABSTRACT: Flow is a brain state neurological similar to dissociation. Flow is part of a creative…

This paper is an account of an interview with a married couple conducted for a graduate level Marriage and Family Counseling course. Names and details have been changed to protect the identity of the couple being interview. The paper has been modified for publication here. “It’s Like We’re Lobsters” An Interview with Jim and Amy…

The following paper was prepared for a graduate level Marriage and Family Counseling course and explores the relational style of two characters in the film Best in Show. “I was Drinking a Grande Espresso when I met You” Love, Hate, and Coupling in the Film Best in Show The film “Best in Show” catalogs, in…

The following paper was written as part of a graduate level introductory course to marriage and family counseling. It has been modified for publication here. “To Tend and to Watch Over” God’s Purpose & Intent in Marriage The purpose and intent of marriage as developed in Marriage and Family this semester by Dr. Dan Allender…

CBT and Sweat Lodge Ceremonies in Conversation on Psychological Healing Practices ABSTRACT: Both CBT and Sweat Lodges are healing practices that have value in a twenty-first century context. However this paper demonstrates that cultural sensitivity requires that Sweat Lodge Ceremonies not be exported out of their context in native communities, and that standard CBT…